Homecoming from Hogwarts

The next morning, Harry followed Mrs. Weasley and her family to the hospital to visit Mr. Weasley again.

Standing in the square hall in front of the information desk on the first floor of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Harry hesitated for a moment as he looked at St. Mungo's which was still shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere.

Sirius finally forgave him for his reckless behavior, and they did not forget his birthday.

Mrs. Weasley and the children left St. Mungo's and returned to Grimmauld Place to celebrate his birthday with dinner.

Although the birthday cake that Mrs. Weasley, Ginny and Hermione hastily made for him wasn't "decent" enough.

But Harry was still deeply moved by this kindness.

It was undoubtedly a memorable birthday in another sense.

Sirius and Hagrid tried not to spoil the fun, but they couldn't help but discuss the huge losses they had suffered in the war that had just ended.

Almost every member of the Order of the Phoenix who participated in the war was injured.

Emmeline Vance died in a duel with the Carrow siblings, and Kingsley, who avenged her, lost a leg.

Mr. Weasley was almost half dead.

Dedalus Diggle died at the hands of a Death Eater.

"It's Greengrass--"

Under the flickering candlelight, Sirius' tone was calm, but his grey eyes revealed deep hatred.
"I was chasing Lucius Malfoy because Mad-Eye suspected that Voldemort had given him a mission, but halfway, Greengrass jumped out and stopped me. I fought with him for a few moves and broke his mask, and then..."

Sirius's voice was thick with moisture, and Harry was sure he saw tears in his godfather's eyes.

"Dedalus was fighting Voldemort's minions nearby. He saw that I was going to cause trouble for Malfoy, so he came to help me--"

Sirius suddenly couldn't continue, closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, clenching his teeth.

Harry opened his mouth, but didn't know how to comfort her.

He was not familiar with Greengrass, but he was very familiar with his two daughters who were studying at Hogwarts:
Daphne Greengrass and Astoria Greengrass.

Especially Astoria, who is Professor Brian's youngest student. They can all see that Professor Brian admires Astoria very much.

"Will the Ministry arrest him?"

Hermione looked a little confused, and she also thought of Daphne and Astoria.

"The Ministry will definitely take action—"

Remus was also rubbing his brows, his voice was a little hoarse.
"But I bet he's already escaped from home. That's what happens to all Death Eaters who show their faces."

"If I were Professor Blaine—"

George's face was filled with hatred.
"When the next semester starts, I will capture all those Death Eater brats and force them to show up. I dare say this will definitely be more effective than threatening them with gold!"

"That's a dangerous idea, Fred—"

Hagrid, who had confused the twins, was all pale and spoke in a booming voice.

"If we do this, what's the difference between us and the Death Eaters?"

George stopped talking, but judging from the expressions of the Weasley children, they seemed to agree with George's proposal.

"Well, let's cut the cake, Harry—"

As if she felt that these topics were too heavy for a group of underage wizards, Mrs. Weasley forced a smile and handed the table knife to Harry.

After they finished eating the cake, Mrs. Weasley forced them to wash up and go to bed.

Although Harry really wanted to have a candlelight chat with his godfather, he considered that Sirius had experienced a brutal war today and was injured and needed rest.

Harry returned to the bedroom and immediately fell back on the bed. Although he had slept for most of the day, he still felt very tired.

Ron was no longer as lively as before. He sat quietly at the head of the bed, bathed in candlelight.

"I think so"

After a long while, Ron, who looked gloomy, suddenly spoke.
"George's suggestion is a good one."

Well--
Harry mumbled an agreement; he wasn't surprised that Ron had such thoughts.

"If my father or mother were Death Eaters, I wouldn't be able to continue taking Professor Blaine's class!"

Ron said again bitterly.

This time, Harry didn't make any sound. He covered his eyes with his arms and lay motionless on the bed, seemingly asleep.

In the bedroom, Ron sat alone in the candlelight for a long time. After a heavy sigh, he fell on the bed and fell asleep without turning off the lights.

"Hurry up, Harry, they've changed his ward, and he's on the fourth floor now." Harry, who was staring blankly at the bloodstains on the floor of the square hall that had not been cleaned overnight and had dried into brown spots, came to his senses and hurriedly caught up with the Weasley family who were preparing to go upstairs.

"I'm going to go change the bandages and I'll meet up with you guys later."

When they reached the second floor entrance, Sirius patted Harry on the shoulder and walked into the corridor on the second floor.

"Ahem, why did they move Mr. Weasley's ward?"

When passing the third floor, Harry quickly poked his head into the corridor and found that the row of stretchers covered with white cloth that he saw in the corridor yesterday were no longer there. They must have been taken away by the family members.

Harry retracted his head and saw that everyone was looking at his strange behavior. He coughed dryly and asked.

"I think it's because he recovered well--"

Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips, and her tone was not very confident when she answered Harry's question.
"Arthur was in the intensive care unit yesterday. Perhaps the healers at St. Mungo's felt that his injuries had stabilized, so they released him from there."

"They shouldn't have tortured him!"

Ginny was very angry and felt sorry for her father.
"He's already been hurt so badly, isn't he?"

"Oh, we can't be so selfish, Ginny, maybe they've received a more seriously injured patient--"

Although she was comforting Ginny, Mrs. Weasley looked resentful.

“But to be honest, St. Mungo’s should really consider expanding.

I remember that every time I came here, it was overcrowded and it was in Muggle territory, so the patients couldn't get some sunshine or fresh air, which was essential for their recovery."

They climbed to the fourth floor, listening to Mrs. Weasley's complaints.

The strong smell of blood in the air on the fourth floor was lighter than that on the third floor, but the smell of various potions used to treat magical injuries mixed together, still making the group of people frown.

The corridor was almost filled with the relatives of the injured, and it was difficult to squeeze in even one more person.

"I'll come back another day--"

A woman holding a medical sheet looked out at the crowded corridor and sighed heavily.

As she went downstairs, Harry discovered that the person's feet had been misplaced by some magic, and their two feet were fighting with each step.

"Neville?"

Harry, who was watching the lady's odd walk down the stairs, heard Hermione's scream and quickly turned his head away.

"Is it you?"

Neville, who squeezed out of the corridor, was also surprised to meet his Hogwarts classmates.

"Your parents?"

There is no need to explain why the people who appeared at St. Mungo's now had such a big impact.

Hermione looked at Neville with a distressed expression. She saw Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom wake up from their coma with her own eyes, and also witnessed Neville's first real reunion with his parents after many years.

"Oh, don't worry, Hermione, they're fine--"

Neville's raised eyebrows sank, and his eyes showed a bit of sinisterness.

"Just some minor injuries. Bellatrix didn't do anything to them this time, but the healer at St. Mungo's asked them to come back once a day to change the medicine -"

Neville raised the potion in his hand.

"They are on the second floor. I came to get the medicine for them. By the way, I heard them say..."

Neville explained a few words about his parents' situation, then turned his gaze to Ron and the others.

"Life saved."

Ron said glumly.

"This is cause for celebration, Ron!"

Mrs. Weasley raised her voice to express her dissatisfaction with Ron's attitude, then she greeted Neville with a smile.

wow-
Something suddenly caused a commotion downstairs. Below the people standing at the stairs, it seemed to be on the first floor, there were applause and shouting, and the atmosphere seemed to be getting more and more heated.

This seemed very inappropriate at St. Mungo's where everyone looked sad.

"Minister Bones!"

A few people poked their heads out curiously, and amid the clamor, Harry could vaguely hear a number of voices shouting. (End of this chapter)